Anyone else feel like tonight was the first time Lebron became an actual LAKER?

Nope Lebron has had plenty of games where one would think that. One against SPurs where he completely just took over the game and won it for us comes to mind. Lebron is our best player and is just better at basketball than everyone else. He literally looked done in the 1Q and then after that flicked a switch and just went off....it's bizzare.

Best player in the league hands down. I didn’t like him and actually hated him when he went to Miami but started cheering for him and liking him when he went back to Cleveland. Now he’s my current favorite player. Lakers have always been my team and Kobe will always be my dude though.

ZO is probably my current favourite player on this team but i love having Lebron here...If anything bringing back the winning culture is whats most important to this team. I seriously wonder sometimes how Kobe would have been as a coach..The guy is a genius at breaking things down. Would have loved to have him here as an assistant coach or an advisor atleast.

Yeah I kind of like Zo but IMO I think he’s not very good. Pulling for the kid like crazy though. My favorite of the young guys is Kuz. Kobe would be a tough coach to play for. He demands a lot. More suited for Colege IMO. These pros would get hurt the way Kobe is.

True about Kobe but i feel he has a lot of insight he can share with guys...Especially Ingram. Im happy we didn't trade for AD i know it isn't a popular opinion but i just cant see us being much better with a gutted roster. I'd rather keep the core and see what happens in the summer. Overall im crying tears of joy over the win and proud of the team!

People will say AD is the better player, and I understand the logic, but the more evolved Kyrie is a facillitator and he plays defense.

What he DOES have that AD does not have is a hellified clutch gene.

Kyrie played like (bleep) all game, but the MOMENT it was crunch-time, his movements become a lot sharper, and he effectiveness sky-rocketed. You NEED that, and AD has never shown that sort of ability.

Dear lord. If he hadn't played like a scrub early, then he wouldn't have needed to be anything late. Did you miss him on the bench when the Celts built that 18 point lead (look at their bench plus minus)? Did you then miss how he came back and the lead went down to 9 at the half, did you miss him starting the 3rd and the 9 evaporated and the Lakers took the lead? Clutch. For the entirely wrong team. And did I mention that the reason why Max echoed the one side of the Boston sports argument, to wit, better off without Kyrie? The Kyrie-less Celts took down Giannis and Co, crushed Embiid, Simmons and Co, and took King James to a game 7. Kyrie couldn't lead the team with an 18 point lead. Lastly, for those big up on Stevens, hardly, he took out the unit that built up the 18 in favor of Mr. I'ma lose it and this dude on Lakersground gonna call me clutch.

Anyone else feel like tonight was the first time Lebron became an actual LAKER?

Nope Lebron has had plenty of games where one would think that. One against SPurs where he completely just took over the game and won it for us comes to mind. Lebron is our best player and is just better at basketball than everyone else. He literally looked done in the 1Q and then after that flicked a switch and just went off....it's bizzare.

Best player in the league hands down. I didn’t like him and actually hated him when he went to Miami but started cheering for him and liking him when he went back to Cleveland. Now he’s my current favorite player. Lakers have always been my team and Kobe will always be my dude though.

ZO is probably my current favourite player on this team but i love having Lebron here...If anything bringing back the winning culture is whats most important to this team. I seriously wonder sometimes how Kobe would have been as a coach..The guy is a genius at breaking things down. Would have loved to have him here as an assistant coach or an advisor atleast.

Yeah I kind of like Zo but IMO I think he’s not very good. Pulling for the kid like crazy though. My favorite of the young guys is Kuz. Kobe would be a tough coach to play for. He demands a lot. More suited for Colege IMO. These pros would get hurt the way Kobe is.

True about Kobe but i feel he has a lot of insight he can share with guys...Especially Ingram. Im happy we didn't trade for AD i know it isn't a popular opinion but i just cant see us being much better with a gutted roster. I'd rather keep the core and see what happens in the summer. Overall im crying tears of joy over the win and proud of the team!

Yeah about Kobe. Yeah it is unpopular but at some point those demands became ridiculous. I still want AD but it is what it is. I’d tell the Pelicans they can have Ingram and some picks at this point.

People will say AD is the better player, and I understand the logic, but the more evolved Kyrie is a facillitator and he plays defense.

What he DOES have that AD does not have is a hellified clutch gene.

Kyrie played like (bleep) all game, but the MOMENT it was crunch-time, his movements become a lot sharper, and he effectiveness sky-rocketed. You NEED that, and AD has never shown that sort of ability.

Dear lord. If he hadn't played like a scrub early, then he wouldn't have needed to be anything late. Did you miss him on the bench when the Celts built that 18 point lead (look at their bench plus minus)? Did you then miss how he came back and the lead went down to 9 at the half, did you miss him starting the 3rd and the 9 evaporated and the Lakers took the lead? Clutch. For the entirely wrong team. And did I mention that the reason why Max echoed the one side of the Boston sports argument, to wit, better off without Kyrie? The Kyrie-less Celts took down Giannis and Co, crushed Embiid, Simmons and Co, and took King James to a game 7. Kyrie couldn't lead the team with an 18 point lead. Lastly, for those big up on Stevens, hardly, he took out the unit that built up the 18 in favor of Mr. I'ma lose it and this dude on Lakersground gonna call me clutch.

You can argue his style doesn't fit for what the Celtics THOUGHT they wanted to do, but you have to ask yourself why Brad Stevens has relied on Kyrie being so ball dominant. Furthermore, there is no metric you can cite that will suggest anything OTHER than Kyrie is not only one of the most clutch players in the league, but in HISTORY.

Yeah, when defenses aren't as stingy, role players can look like stars. The deeper you go into the playoffs, the stingier defenses become, and the pressure ramps up levelS.

That is why Boston collapsed last year. They had NOBODY they could rely on to get them a shot, or at least put a lot of pressure on the defense when it counted the most.

Kyrie is from the lineage of Kobe Bryant. Sure, role players are less involved, the ball doesn't move as much, but he specializes in making tough plays - and that matters FAR more deep into the playoffs when role players tend to get neutralized.

Everyone lauded the Spurs for the TEAM PLAY, but the moment they lost their STARS, what happened to that team player? It don't look as good without a superstar to take the pressure off of everyone else offensively.

On a last note, all of that you typed would be irrelevant if Rondo wasn't in the right place at the right time and hit a buzzer beater. Kyrie showed why they put the ball in his hands. He can make plays when the pressure ramps up.

Last edited by AQuestSupreme on Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:38 pm; edited 2 times in total

-Lebron about to turn the ball over, saves it with a hard bounce, Rondo gets it and passes back to Lebron who just ran back onto the court for a 3. 124-124.

-Boston takes lead, 126-124, and Rondo basically has another inbound play brain fart and throws it away. Ball is tapped and luckily gets to KCP. We end up with a Kuzma 3 for the lead. 126-127.

-Kyrie does his thing, 128-127.

-Lastly, you know what happened... Tyson does a Vlade tip out to Rondo who doesn't have to think, just shoot it. We win, 128-129.

That KCP shot was going to be the subject of a lot of threads if it didn't go in. He hesitated and then took a tough 3 with no rebounders underneath and it would have been the nail in the coffin if it missed. I won't even get into what would have happened in here if LeBron had an unforced out of bounds turnover on the next play

-Lebron about to turn the ball over, saves it with a hard bounce, Rondo gets it and passes back to Lebron who just ran back onto the court for a 3. 124-124.

-Boston takes lead, 126-124, and Rondo basically has another inbound play brain fart and throws it away. Ball is tapped and luckily gets to KCP. We end up with a Kuzma 3 for the lead. 126-127.

-Kyrie does his thing, 128-127.

-Lastly, you know what happened... Tyson does a Vlade tip out to Rondo who doesn't have to think, just shoot it. We win, 128-129.

That KCP shot was going to be the subject of a lot of threads if it didn't go in. He hesitated and then took a tough 3 with no rebounders underneath and it would have been the nail in the coffin if it missed. I won't even get into what would have happened in here if LeBron had an unforced out of bounds turnover on the next play

Well, the Kuzma three too. Lebron had his hands ready for the pass. One of those situations where if Kuzma missed, Lebron would have kept the READY FOR THE PASS pose to emphasize Kuz should have passed the ball. This is not a knock on Lebron, this is just in general. A lot of players do this, and I thought had Kuzma missed that, Lebron might have kept that pose. LOL!

Anyone else feel like tonight was the first time Lebron became an actual LAKER?

Nope Lebron has had plenty of games where one would think that. One against SPurs where he completely just took over the game and won it for us comes to mind. Lebron is our best player and is just better at basketball than everyone else. He literally looked done in the 1Q and then after that flicked a switch and just went off....it's bizzare.

I’ve followed Lebron since he was a youngster playing for St Vincent and then joined Cleveland in 2003...The guys basketball iq is off the charts and his ability to always know where everyone is on the court and when to pass is insane. The guy does have a switch, its like suddenly he’s a possessed man and goes off on teams. I saw it happen do many times in Cleveland (yes I’ve watched almost every game he’s played since coming to the NBA so IMHO I’ve seen him in action more than most average fans. He sometimes lets the youngins fend for themselves and almost drown before he steps in and takes control...Its tough love. In the playoffs and finals Lebron’s always been a beast...He hasnt had it as easy as other players (Durant, Curry, etc), the man took a nothing team like the Cavs and took them to numerous finals and got them rings. He joined the Lakers who have been terrible in the past and wants to get them some rings also. The haters gonna hate on him for whatever stupid reasons but if he gets a Championship with LA he’s cemented himself as the GOAT...Not an easy task.

Favorite win of the season for me, for sure. I just love to beat the Celtics and to do it with heart and hustle makes it even sweeter. They could have easily folded in the 1st half, but something clicked at halftime and they never looked back. I cannot fathom how they got that hot from 3 but I will gladly take it. They seemed to just want it more than the Celtics and it showed.

Poetic justice that a former Celtic has his first career buzzer beater and its when he is back in Boston AS a Laker.